Frizzy

By Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text
Winner of the Eisner for Best Publication for Kids
Indie Bestseller

New York Times-bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega and star debut artist Rose Bousamra's Frizzy is about Marlene, a young Dominican girl whose greatest enemy is the hair salon! Through her struggles and triumphs, this heartwarming and gorgeous middle-grade graphic novel shows the radical power of accepting yourself as you are, frizzy curls and all.

Marlene loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But according to her mother, Paola, the only thing she needs to focus on is school and "growing up." That means straightening her hair every weekend so she could have "presentable", "good hair".

But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn't understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. With a few hiccups, a dash of embarrassment, and the much-needed help of Camila and Tia Ruby—she slowly starts a journey to learn to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250905345

Book preview

Reviews for Frizzy

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Some middle grade books just kick you right in the feels and this is one of them. Deftly navigating the cultural divide that designates some hair "good" and curly hair as bad, this book celebrates embracing what you have and learning to care for it -- Marlene is a totally engaging character and I'm just so glad her Tia was able to come to the rescue. It's a book about bravery, and about finding your authentic self and it is beautiful.

[sjgirl-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marlene’s drawn so adorably here that admittedly at no point did I ever think the girl had “bad” hair, to me she was just a cutie no matter what, however in this story as in life there are kids and adults who make Marlene feel ugly because of her hair. I could definitely relate to the childhood discomfort and occasional tears that came when my mom brushed (or was it ripped?) the knots from my hair, and hopefully the young girls out there who see even more of themselves in Marlene than I did, who share her hair texture, find this book or better still have a friend and/or an aunt like Marlene has in her corner, loved ones who listen and reinforce that there isn’t just one type of beautiful.Maybe it’s because I’m an adult reader, but I particularly liked that the mom has her own mini-emotional arc here, it smartly ties in her childhood experience, how beautiful her husband made her feel and how she wants her daughter to feel, the mom’s story doesn’t by any means take over, it just nicely adds depth.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marlene's hair is big, curly, thick and almost impassable. There's always someone in the family commenting negatively on her hair and her mother takes her to the salon weekly to look more "presentable." Marlene hates the salon visits and all the comments and just wishes to be herself with her natural hair. This book realistically explores the controversial beliefs about good vs bad hair and nicely brings Marlene to self-acceptance with the help of a beloved aunt, also blessed with thick, curly hair.

[librarianryan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun graphic novel aimed at upper elementary and lower middle school. It is about a girl who doesn’t feel like herself. Every Sunday her mom drags her to a salon to have her hair straightened. You see her natural hair is as frizzy as frizzy can be, and to some it’s shameful. However frizzy hair isn’t shameful. It’s just not taken care of well. Our main character learns how to take care of her natural hair from her aunt, who constantly bucks the family rules. This book is a great way to talk about lessons and ideas that are passed from generation to generation within a family, as well as talking about how it’s OK to be yourself, and that traditional beauty standards are very white centric and not true beauty standards. The only beauty standard anyone should have are the ones they set for themselves, not ones others set for them. I love the message of this book the ease of the read, as well as the illustrations. Altogether, it’s a fantastic read for any collection, either a library, a classroom or a personal one.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

children's graphic novel - Dominican-American girl is afraid to tell her mom how much she dreads their Sunday salon trips, and that she wants to leave her hair unstraightened. (includes discussions about the fallacy of 'good hair' vs. 'bad hair' and tying appearances to self-worth, internalized anti-Blackness)perfect for kids who deal with similar issues but maybe don't know how to describe their experiences

[biblilakayayizan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Marlene has curly hair, which is, in the eyes of her family, not presentable. Her mother takes her to the salon every weekend to get her hair done. No more curls for the teenager, but perfect straight hair. The thing is, Marlene hates it. She strongly dislikes the hours lost to get her hair done. She would love so much to be able to be herself and keep her natural curls. She doesn’t understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. So one day enough is enough. Marlene decides to say no and voices what she really wants.This graphic novel will totally talk to all women with curly hair, whatever your age. I was so touched by the young heroine that fights her family to be herself and be able to keep her curls. This book story brought back childhood memories of the fights to brush my hair. Yes, I have curly hair. Very curly. Like sheep curly. The fights were not about straightening my hair like young Marlene, but to cut. Of course all my classmates had long straight hair, so I wanted long hair too ! All that to say that Frizzy is a great graphic novel that talked to me a lot.Marlene is a sweet girl that loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. She has a very hard time to accept herself and to think that she is good enough, as everybody keeps telling her how not pretty, not good her hair are. The most difficult part is how she witnesses her family admiring her perfectly blond cousin, who has beautiful, presentable and good straight hair.The art is absolutely great. And there is a chicken in the story, which is a plus. Frizzy is about diversity, self love and about acceptance. This middle grade graphic novel is a strong testimony about the power to embrace yourself and accept our differences.

[alliepascal-876024 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an important and heartfelt message this graphic novel is sending out there, of accepting yourself as you are, especially when it comes to beauty standards affecting young girls. There are some dramatic moments, and they are so clearly expressed and Marlene is such a likeable and sympathetic character that I felt devastated along with her. This book also touches on the core of why the perception of hair types being "good" and "bad" is so ingrained in society; ie, anti-blackness. The story is charming and mostly lighthearted, though. And the art compliments it well! The characters are drawn so expressively, and I especially love the colors. They're so vibrant and pretty.I would say that the ending wraps up a little too neatly, but I think it's appropriate for the actual target audience. And anyway, I found plenty to love, so I think kids will adore it even more.

[bumblybee-190414 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Frizzy is a stunning middle-grade graphic novel that tackles loving who you are, intergenerational trauma, and bullying, among so many other things. You can feel the emotion in the dialogue and the artwork, and the effect is incredibly moving. It's so powerful that it made me cry on multiple occasions through reading it - quite a feat for a graphic novel! Marlene is an instantly likeable character that you can't help but root for, and her story is not unique - this is something lots of girls can undoubtedly relate to, and I'm glad that her story is being told. I do hope Ortega and Bousamra collaborate again, because if Frizzy is any indication, they are a team to be reckoned with!Thank you to First Second and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

[oldandnewbooksmell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every Sunday Marlene and her mother, Paola, go to the salon to straighten their hair so that it’s “presentable” and “good hair”. But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn’t understand why she can’t wear her hair natural and embrace her curls. With a few missteps, and help from her best friend Camila and her Tia Ruby - Marlene slowly begins her journey to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.This is a very important book for young girls out there who need to know that impracing and feeling comfortable in your natural hair is something to celebrate and show off.Along with step-by-steps from Tia Ruby on how to take care of her hair, Marlene and her Tia also have a discussion on generation trauma and what that means and how it affects every generation. They were both important topics that I felt like were handled with care, especially for the age group this novel is aimed towards.I loved the illustrations by Rose Rousamra, they were stunning and conveyed Marlene’s journey perfectly. The color pallet for everything was beautiful as well.*Thank you NetGalley and First Second for a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review